10 goals for the new year that you can propose to your children

The start of a new year is always a good opportunity to analyze the mistakes of the past and set new goals. It is a “new beginning” that allows us to leave old habits behind, overcome old mistakes and plan new plans for the future, an excellent projection exercise that can also be added by the youngest at home. In this way, they will learn to plan their time better, as well as to establish concrete objectives and organize their life in the short and long term.

Ideally, they should start practicing from an early age, but for children it can sometimes be difficult to set long-term goals. Therefore, their parents should encourage them to reflect on the goals they want to achieve in the New Year and help them make a list of good purposes for this New Year.

10 goals you can suggest to your children for this 2018

Reduce the time dedicated to technology, and especially to video games and mobile phones.

Share more time with your friends, brothers and family.

Visit more museums, educational centers and art galleries.

Learn a new language or specific skill.

Discuss less with siblings and friends.

Create a study habit that allows them to take better advantage of the hours dedicated to homework.

Contribute to household chores and collaborate with the family.

Enroll in a course, workshop or class that interests him.

Devote more time to develop his best skills, such as painting, writing or sports.

Learn how to manage emotions better.

3 ways to help your children set goals for this 2018

1. Teach them to set specific goals

Overly general or imprecise objectives do not usually come to fruition since it is difficult to determine what should be done at any given moment and where to go. Centuries ago, Seneca summed it up brilliantly: “If one does not know to which port one is sailing, no wind is favorable”. Therefore, it is important that you teach your children to set specific goals, so that later they can be clear about the steps they should take. For example, a general goal can be to learn to be patient while a more specific goal is to wait for the turn at the time of the game or in a conversation.

2. Encourage them to set goals appropriate to their age

Propose goal from an early age is a great incentive for children to learn to face with the challenges, while representing a great opportunity to stimulate their development. However, setting goals that are too ambitious for their age can be counterproductive. In the long run, children will feel pressured and stressed, so they will lose motivation and probably end up feeling frustrated for not achieving their goals. Therefore, it is essential to teach them to set realistic goals that they can achieve at their own pace.

3. Encourage them to design an action plan

Many times, the goals of the beginning of the year are forgotten as the months pass. To prevent this from happening, encourage your children to design an action plan for each objective, in which they specify each step they need to take to reach the final goal, as well as the time, it will take to complete each task. For example, if one of the objectives is to develop the study habit, you can propose to study one hour a day during the first three months of the year and then increase to one hour and a half each quarter.